It's kind of like online dating," says Matt Dunbar, senior vice president of Churchill Mortgage in Brentwood, Tennessee. Sooner or later you're going to meet in person, so it's best to save everyone's time with a 'profile' that's not far from the truth."

The comparison to dating is apt, considering the language homebuyers use during the homebuying process. For example, home viewers don't stop until they find "the one."

So when it comes to your listing photos, don't give buyers the "icky" feeling - that feeling of disgust you get when you first notice a big obstacle. Here are seven tips to help your listing photos stand out in the best way possible and move buyers to take the next step and say "I do."

1. Avoid amateur mobile phone photos

Anyone who has gone house hunting has come across listing photos that could have been taken better. You know, the ones where the photos are so small and blurry that you have no idea what you're looking at.

"First impressions are important," says Brittany Heckenberg, a real estate agent with The Heckenberg Group in Arvada, Colo. Her pet peeve is brokers who take their own pictures and usually include their own fingers in them.

2. Don't overuse filters

Another situation is when listing photos are so heavily edited that they no longer look real.

Brian Quigley, founder and principal broker of Beacon Lending, says, "Retouching photos can help enhance the appeal of a listing. However, if the photos are altered to the point where they no longer reflect what the property really looks like, it can lead to distrust."

There's nothing wrong with turning up the brightness and lightening the shadows of a photo to help viewers see the details of a home better. However, using filters that are too warm or too cool may work against you.

Quigley adds, "Buyers don't like to be misled."

3. Skip the wide angle

Photographing a small room and making it look less claustrophobic can be challenging. Professional real estate photographers have special lenses, lighting tools, and techniques to make small, dark rooms look bigger and brighter.

Amateur photographers may think they can take great photos just by using a photo app. However, many apps only produce distorted images.

Martin Orefice, CEO of Rent To Own Labs, says: "Fisheye lens technology is an overused technique. It can make a small room look bigger and present a panoramic view of the whole room in one frame, but it's becoming increasingly off-putting to customers."

4. Dim the lights

Before the photo shoot, you'll want to clean all the windows in your home and open all the curtains and blinds. Some agents even recommend removing window screens.

The goal of this is to let in as much natural light as possible.

"Poorly lit and dimly lit photos can give off an uncomfortable, gloomy feeling," says Ryan Carrigan, founder and CEO of moveBuddha." Natural light is preferred, but you can also use artificial lighting to brighten up the space."

5. keep people out of the picture

Before listing your home, a realtor will advise you to remove all personal items, leaving only enough furniture to show the purpose of each room. This includes family photos and collectibles.

The reason?

You want potential buyers to picture themselves in the home.

It goes without saying that you don't want any people in the photos.

Heckenberg says, "There's nothing more annoying than seeing people sitting on furniture in a listing photo. Would you inherit them with the house, too?"

6. keep the house clean

There's nothing more offensive than seeing a cluttered or unclean house in a listing photo.

Owen Salkin, a real estate agent with the Graham Salkin Group at Compass in West Hollywood, California, says, "Never use a photo of a house that is extremely untidy."

Unmade beds, multiple cars in the driveway and a messy kitchen are big no-nos.

Dirtiness makes everyone cringe.

7. Put a lid on it

So before taking any photos, pay special attention to the condition of the bathroom.

Homebuyers report that dirty grout, broken tiles, peeling caulk, and rust or mineral stains make them cringe.

Your bathroom should look like an oasis of calm with fluffy towels and soap.

Gaffikin says, "One of my pet peeves is when the bathroom toilet seat is up in the listing photo. It's a small but important detail."